The final speech by Raúl Castro reaffirmed the idea of ending subsidies. Hearing that phrase, we tend to think only of the end of the quota of rationed food we Cubans receive. But the call to do away with symbolic prices and unnecessary “free” services is a double-edge sword which could end up hurting whomever wields it. If we were to be consistent in eliminating paternalism, we’d need to start by reducing the burden of maintaining this obese state infrastructure that we feed from our own pockets. Workers who produce steel, nickel, rum or tobacco, or who are employed in the bar of a hotel, receive a minuscule portion of the sale of their production or of the real cost of their services. The rest goes directly to subsidize an insatiable State.

Puerto Rico’s governor, indicted on corruption charges, posted a video on the popular social networking site Facebook admitting to making mistakes.
During the four-minute video, Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila apologized to Puerto Ricans saying he “committed errors.”
However, he did not address specific charges against him or admit to any criminal wrongdoing, according to the video posted Sunday.
A federal indictment handed down earlier this year accused the Puerto Rican governor of conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws and lying to the FBI, among other charges.
Acevedo, who was voted out of office last month, faces trial in February.

Barack Obama says Democratic senators should reject the man proposed by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to replace Mr Obama in the US Senate.
…
The president-elect said he agreed the Senate “cannot accept” a new senator chosen by Mr Blagojevich, adding that Mr Blagojevich himself should resign.

Earlier today, Larry Reid did, too. Rick Moran looks at it from the impeachment point of view

It seems not to have dented the consciousness of our political class that New Jersey’s dismal economic performance might be linked to the state’s tax policy. According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, New Jersey is home to the most hostile tax environment for business in the nation. We also bear the nation’s highest burden of state and local taxes. And on the list of the 10 counties with the highest median property tax, we claim seven of them.

During the last recession, we began to feel the full weight of these burdens. Other states responded by cutting back on spending and getting their houses in order. Not New Jersey. Then-Gov. Jim McGreevey added to the burden by borrowing and spending and raising the corporate tax — including the imposition of an alternative minimum tax on business. And we’ve been paying for these bad choices ever since.

Mr. Obama might pay special attention to what these measures have meant for jobs, especially given his expressed concern for the struggling middle class. Though the state did ultimately emerge from recession in 2003, private-sector job creation since then has been a pale shadow of what we enjoyed after the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s.

And just when you thought things were bad, they got worse,

Of course, there was one area where jobs did grow. From 2000 to 2007, says the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, the government added 54,800 jobs. To put that in proper perspective, that works out to 93% of all jobs created in New Jersey over those seven years.

Sadly, it is not only Trenton that is incompetent. Local governments in New Jersey spend money as if it were without limit, and, in many towns, there really is no limit. Most Princetonians now pay about 3% of the value of their home and property in annual property taxes. For this we get excellent public schools, but virtually nothing else. The fire and the EMS are volunteer, and trash collection is privatized so homeowners pay separately for that. Many of the roads in town are so potholed that they damage cars, and whenever the township does get around to repaving a street it takes forever and, no doubt, costs a fortune because somebody decided we needed Belgian block curbs all over town. Oh, and the sidewalks are now made of special and expensive “permeable” asphalt, because somebody read somewhere that impermeable cover was suddenly a big problem. (Our property, which is about two acres, is as permeable as it gets with about 1.5 acres of wetland and “flood fringe,” and the Township engineer still forced us to buy the special permeable asphalt to rebuilt the sidewalk damaged by the construction of the house.) If it snows, all the begging in the world will not bring a snow plow past your home in time to make a difference. If you want to build something, you can delight in the deliberate speed of the building inspectors, notwithstanding their vested interest in your higher property taxes.

Both TigerHawk and I have been through the paces when it comes to the building process. But that’s not all, and TigerHawk’s commenter reminds us, all those folks are retiring with huge pensions,

While Princeton [Township] doesn’t let public employees retire at 90% of peak salary, it does allow for 80%. I believe the borough also grants lifetime medical care coverage, as perhaps the township also might do. No business in America pays these sorts of benefits, and no municipality in the country can possibly afford them.

The local electorate will not, I am absolutely convinced, will NOT vote them out because as long as they are Democrats, they will keep them in office. I’ve volunteered at the polls, I’ve worked on petitions, I’ve had the local candidates in my podcast, name it, by now I am convinced that’s that.

Local taxes are going up in 2009, and on top of that there’s going to be a real estate reappraisal in the Township so real estate taxes will be even more astronomical. How does $20,000 in annual real estate taxes look to you? How about $40,000? And they don’t even pick up your garbage.

The day nears when The Husband and I leave the area for more fiscally-sane parts. This is a lovely town, and I’ve lived here for nearly twenty years. But, like the net 75,000 taxpayers that NJ lost in the past 6 years, there are equally lovely places where to live where our hard-earned money (or what’s left of it after NJ’s done) won’t be squandered in Belgian block curbs and permeable sidewalks.

Sallai Meridor, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, is holding a conference call sponsored by The Israel Project. Here are a few of his remarks,
“One in every ten Israelis is under direct attack” from the Hamas missiles. “In only six months the number of Israelis under attack tripled.”

“Gaza is an arm of the octupus centered in Iran…Gaza is in many ways a Taliban state on the border of Israel”.

How does killing 300 Palestinians promote the cause of peace in the region? “Does killing terrorists advance the cause of peace in the region? Absolutely yes. When we are successful the chances for peace in the region will be higher, and people in the region will have more hope.”

As he spoke he was told that Hamas rockets had reached Beersheba.

“Only if we stand together, supporting each other, determined to prevail over this”, we can win.

Obama administration: “I don’t have an answer on the position of the incoming administration, I can only tell you what I heard when I accompanied Pres. elect Obama on his visit to Israel, he made his position very clear, stating that Hamas needs to accept the 3 principles: recognize Israel, stop terrorism and abide by previous commitments.” The Ambassador also quoted Obama’s reply on if his family was under attack he’d do anything to stop it.

“We want to live in peace and security and dignity next to a Palestinian neighbor who also wants to live in peace and security and dignity.”

Iran’s involvement, & Iranian nuclear threat: “What you see in Gaza is Iranian made: funded, led by Iran, training either in Iran or by Hizbollah, missiles are Iranian made & supplied. Iran is a terrible octupus with proxies in the region. The largest exporter of terror in the region and beyond the region, and moving ahead with a nuclear bomb. If there’s a nightmare, is the day when there’s this unsacred marriage between terror and nuclear. They’re fast-forwarding to that.”

2:34
“If world leadership is resourceful and doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the thirties, it has to act today. There is a chance because the Iranian regime, if it sees its nuclear program as a liability, it might change its mind, since oil at $40/bb is not the same as at $140, but it will take an immediate world action.”

“Terror is a threat that is global, crosses international borders, and if it goes global, the worst threat.”

“The challenge to us is to be together, be determined, promote our values, and not be deterred by terrori

Military action is necessary but not enough: “we need prevention, deterrence, and defense.”

“Education for peace is something we went over after Oslo in all the textbooks. We dealt with the challenge and continue so that this light of hope won’t ever die. And as much as we do, there’s always more to do. THe more you’re attacked, the more you have to invest in your children so that they continue to believe in the values you believe.” “Dealing with terror today is very painful but killing hope in the future by teaching children to hate Americans, and moderates, and Jews and Israelis, kills the hope for better days.”

Reaction to Ban Ki Moon’s statement on overreaction: The ambassador doesn’t react directly to anyone’s statement, but asks “everyone to put yourself in the same position. Think about your daughter, your parents, think about that happening to you day after day, year after year. Ask what would I do if it were my children.”

Welcome to the Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean – A day late, but still weekly! Due to a heavy cold, and my working on a year-end roundup for Real Clear World Blog, the Carnival is small today.

Congratulations to Briston Palin and her boyfriend Levy Johnston on the birth of their son:

Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth on Saturday to a healthy 7 lb., 7 oz., baby boy in Palmer, Alaska.
…
The baby’s name is Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston and he was born at 5:30 a.m., according to Jones.